


you're just a kid

by PidgeScarlet



Series: SBI Oneshots [4]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, BAMF Toby Smith | Tubbo, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Child Soldiers, Childhood Trauma, Clay | Dream and Toby Smith | Tubbo are Siblings, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, Minor Character Death, Protective Toby Smith | Tubbo, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, kingdom au, royal au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28410762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PidgeScarlet/pseuds/PidgeScarlet
Summary: The boy couldn’t be older than ten years old.Dream stared at the boy that Sapnap and George had brought to him. The young general looked down at the boy they had supposedly ‘saved’ from enemy territory. It was their secret mission, kidnapping the boy. Dream only knew a few details as to why. He wasn’t a top general but still ended up with the job of caring for the boy.He had no idea how this boy, this small malnourished boy, was supposed to be a human superweapon.__Tubbo is a child soldier and superweapon that is rescued by the infamous Dream and his friends. Dream wants to give the boy a new life full of comfort and love. But people from Tubbo's past threaten to take away his chance for that future.__A royal/kingdom AU where Dream adopts a traumatized child solider in the hopes he can give him a better life.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, No Romantic Relationship(s), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Series: SBI Oneshots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2079132
Comments: 43
Kudos: 737
Collections: Tommy and Tubbo Friendship Supremacy





	1. free

**Author's Note:**

> While rated for Teens and Up this work is more suitable for ages 14+, especially if you are disturbed by death and murder. It has the tag Graphic Depictions of Violence for a reason. (Not to the extent it would be rated mature or explicit, I'm not that descriptive of a writer, but this is more descriptive then other works I have written. If I need to I can and will change the tags.)
> 
> Trigger warnings will be listed at the start of every chapter.
> 
> Very loosely inspired by the anime Violet Evergarden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of Kidnapping, Mentions of Child Abuse, Mild Violence
> 
> enjoy reading :)

The boy couldn’t be older than ten years old.

Dream stared at the boy that Sapnap and George had brought to him. The young general looked down at the boy they had supposedly ‘saved’ from enemy territory. It was their secret mission, kidnapping the boy. Dream only knew a few details as to why. He wasn’t a top general but still ended up with the job of caring for the boy.

He had no idea how this boy, this small malnourished boy, was supposed to be a human superweapon.

The boy sat on the floor picking at his thin nightclothes. The long shirt hung on his body, coming down to his knees. Under that he wore a pair of thin shorts. Both were white and made his skin look ghostly pale in deep contrast with his dark brown hair. Dream got down on one knee to sit before the young boy, George and Sapnap watching from a couple feet away.

Bright blue eyes looked up into his mask. Usually people would look at him with fear in his eyes, wondering what the teenager had to do to climb the ranks of a foreign army so quickly. Instead, the boy was emotionless.

“What’s your name?” Dream asked the boy. The boy was quiet for a moment before he rolled up his sleeve, showing Dream a row of numbers tattooed on his forearm.

“Zero zero seven, sir,” he responded. “They called me Seven.” Dream stared at the boy’s arm, glad that his mask could hide the surprise that was in his eyes.

“A list of numbers isn’t a name,” he said. The boy blinked.

“But that’s what the generals would call me,” he said.

“We’ll help you pick a name later,” Dream said. “You’re free now.”

The boy tilted his head, as if he didn’t understand what being ‘free’ meant. Dream honestly wouldn’t be surprised. According to the spare background information he was supplied the boy was taken from his home at a very very young age and forced to become a super soldier. Potions and other serums had tainted the boy’s body, making it stronger and more resilient. He had gone through things no child should have gone through at his age.

“Are there any others like you?” Dream asked. He still had more questions for the kid. As much as he wanted to tuck the boy and himself into bed for the night this information was important. He had information to provide to his commanders after all. He hated to think about how the kid was just another assignment, when he was clearly a human child, brainwashed and forced into a war.

“No,” the boy said with a shake of his head. “The others died. There were only ten of us. Me and Nine were the only ones that lived through training. But Nine died on the battlefield a month ago.”

Dream couldn't stop himself from shaking with fury. He clenched his fist and felt George and Sapnap stare at him, shocked at the kid’s response. Dream breathed in and out, trying to calm himself.

“How old are you?” Dream asked. After this question, he was done for the night. One more bad answer and he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from punching his fist through the wall of their makeshift base.

The boy shrugged. “I think twelve,” he said. “I dunno.”

In a flash Dream was up on his feet and storming out of the room. The boy watched him leave, his eyelids droopy with sleepiness. George and Sapnap exchanged a look before George ran from the room, leaving Sapnap to watch over the boy.

Dream did end up punching the wall. But George managed to stop him before he actually put a hole through it or hurt himself. None of them got a lot of sleep that night.

˙.・⭑˙ • ⋅ ⭑ ⋅ • ˙⭑・.˙

Dream spent a solid couple of weeks just trying to get the boy to trust him. The kid was very good at following orders. He had been trained that way and honestly Dream wanted him to just shout at him and defy him sometimes. The robotic way the kid talked, the way he called him ‘sir’, and the way he carried out his orders, even if they were just suggestions, made Dream shiver.

He let himself become attached to the boy. He knew he was just an assignment, getting the kid to trust them so they could get him to work for them, but he couldn’t stop himself pitying the kid and wishing for a better life for him. What he thought was going to be a babysitting job turned into him becoming genuinely attached to the kid.

The two sat silently together in Dream’s room and office, in their makeshift base near the battlefield. The boy was reading a book that Sapnap had found for him while Dream wrote reports on the boy’s behavior. Out of the corner of his eye he would watch the kid, waiting for him to do something, but he was silent. He sat in the middle of the floor, wearing a uniform that was two sizes too big on him even when they tried to quickly tailor it to his size. His eyes flicked across the pages of the storybook, invested in whatever it was about.

Dream leaned back in his chair before he stood up, stretching his arms. The kid looked at him for a moment before returning to his book. Dream walked over to him before deciding to sit on the floor beside him. He leaned over the boy’s shoulder to look at what he was reading.

“I read this book when I was a child,” Dream said, mostly to himself. The boy stiffened and closed the book.

“Sorry sir,” he said. Dream straightened and gave the boy a confused look, even though the boy’s eyes were focused on the floor.

“For what?”

“Reading childish stories sir,” he said. “I’m supposed to be a soldier. Soldiers don’t read fairy tales.”

“I don’t care what you read,” Dream said. “I still read fairy tales myself.”

The boy looked at him curiously and cautiously reopened the book that was in his lap. Dream smiled.

“What’s your favorite story in the book so far?” Dream asked. The boy flipped through the pages before he handed the book to Dream. He took it with careful hands, staring at the illustration and title of the story that the boy had flipped the pages too. He was unfamiliar with it.

“What’s it about?” he asked, carefully flipping the page over. The boy grinned.

“It’s about a farmer boy,” he said, speaking quicker and more excited than Dream had ever heard before. “He decides he wants to travel the world. So he sails away on his ship, joins the army, and goes on adventures with his friends. He battles pirates and dragons and he even knows how to make music.”

Dream ran a finger over the words of a sentence. The protagonist the boy was talking about was named ‘Tobias’ and he found himself smiling as the boy continued to ramble about the story.

“You like the main character then, don’t you?” Dream asked, looking into the boy’s shining blue eyes. The boy nodded, his dark hair falling into his eyes. “Why don’t we name you after him?”

The boy tilted his head in confusion. “Like what?”

“What about Toby? It suits you.”

The boy was quiet for a minute. Dream could practically see the gears turning in his brain as he thought hard about it. For as long as he remembered, the boy had been called Seven, or Number Seven. Dream had never called him that once, wanting to find a suitable name for him. One fit for a kid, and not a child soldier and lab rat.

Eventually the boy nodded, shyly accepting his new name. Dream called him Toby from that day forth. Sapnap gave him the nickname ‘Tubbo’ which stuck more than his other new name did. Tubbo liked both very much, Toby because Dream had named him that and Tubbo because so many other nicknames came from it.

Dream was also happy that Tubbo had a codename of sorts. They all had special nicknames, excluding George cause he hated them, and he wanted to make sure Tubbo felt included. And while they ended up calling him Tubbo more often than they called him Toby, Dream still occasionally called him that, happy that it always put a smile on Tubbo’s face when he heard his original name.

˙.・⭑˙ • ⋅ ⭑ ⋅ • ˙⭑・.˙

Dream watched Tubbo in action for the first time four weeks after they had brought him into the camp, two weeks after they had given him his new name. The Grand General of the King’s army ordered Dream to throw Tubbo into some training up against some higher ranking officers, experienced higher ranking officers. Dream wanted to protest, not wanted to throw Tubbo into something that could be possibly traumatic. Not after they had just saved him from the cruelty of the enemy camp. But Dream couldn’t defy orders that came from the Grand General himself, especially when he was going to be there to witness Tubbo in action.

Dream brought Tubbo to the training field a few days after he received his orders. He put a nervous hand on Tubbo’s shoulder as they stood on one side of the field. Across from them stood a high ranking officer known to be one of the best fighters in the army. Naturally, Dream was worried for the boy he was starting to dote on and become attached too. Tubbo, on the other hand, did not seem to be phased in the slightest. This worried Dream even more, but for other reasons.

Standing on the sidelines with his closest friends and the Grand General he watched Tubbo weigh the weapon in his hand. The fight was a test to see how well he could disarm his opponent, not who could draw blood first or who could deal a mock killing blow first. Apparently those would come later.

Tubbo spun the small dagger he had chosen between his fingers. He studied his opponent, a tall man that was at least twice his size. He was bulkier than Dream was, but not super muscular. He would be no trouble for him.

The man lurched forward, swinging his sword. Tubbo quickly stepped out of the way and ducked when the sword came for his head. He bounced on his feet, jumping around his opponent and studying his movements. He was heavy, and each swing of his sword had a bunch of brute force behind it. It took Tubbo no time at all to jump the man, roughly knee him in the gut and kick his sword from his hands and hold the dagger to his throat.

The man fell over to the ground and Tubbo looked back to Dream looking for his approval. He seemed to be in shock as he looked at the man lying on the ground in pain. George and Sapnap looked the same. But the other older man Tubbo didn’t recognize looked pleased. Tubbo smiled softly, he had done well.

Tubbo had multiple other fights that day, taking around five minutes to take down each of his opponents. Sometimes he had a weapon and other times he did not. He did win each fight, against men taller and stronger than him. But that’s what he was trained to do. Either you won, or you died.

Dream watched with a blank expression on his face. His heart ached every time he watched Tubbo bring down his opponent. The malnourished and small child could kill within a matter of seconds if ordered to. His hands could snap wrists and necks. His agility and smaller frame gained him an upper hand so he could quickly stab his opponents in the back. His strength allowed him to quickly pull back a bow and shoot with full force without even sparing too much time. His speed allowed him to quickly load a crossbow or flick a dart into someone’s gut.

Dream didn’t like to imagine the trauma the poor kid must have gone through to gain all these skills that should be impossible for a twelve year old to have.

˙.・⭑˙ • ⋅ ⭑ ⋅ • ˙⭑・.˙

They won the war.

Dream hated to think about how Tubbo was one of the reasons they won. The enemy lost their secret weapon only for it to turn up and fight back. He hated to think about how they forced a child to become a soldier and fight in a war he should have never been involved with. He hated to think about all the times in the past weeks that Tubbo had carefully approached him with tear stained cheeks, rambling about the terrors that kept him awake at night. In reality, they were no better than the enemy they had stolen Tubbo from.

So when the battle was won and the dust had settled and the soldier began to pack up and go home, Dream went to the Grand General, handing in his letter of resignation. He was going back to his home country, George and Sapnap following along with him.

With him, he took Tubbo. There would be no more wars. No more battles to the death. No more fighting and training for countless hours that turned the boy into a weapon. He was going to raise Tubbo as his brother and let him be a child.

The poor kid deserved it more than anyone else in the world.


	2. captured

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Graphic Violence, Kidnapping, Blood, Vomit, Death/Murder
> 
> if you're disturbed or trigged by these topics please read with caution ;-;

Tubbo liked living with Dream. Loved it actually. It was so much different than the compound he had grown up in. Here he was loved. He was Dream’s little brother and he thought of George and Sapnap as if they were his brothers as well. They were at least the cool older friends of Dream that he also looked up to.

In the years after the war Dream brought Tubbo to his home country, Artica, where he had grown up. He was from a noble family that was well respected so no one questioned him when he showed up with a twelve-year old that he called his brother.

Word got around that Dream was a minor general that served in their neighboring kingdom’s army and he was invited to the capital to work for the king as an advisor and junior general for Artica’s army. George and Sapnap were invited as well and were recruited into the palace’s royal guard. And being the awesome brother he was, Dream brought Tubbo with him instead of dumping him at his estate in the countryside where he would have lived by himself.

Plus, living in the palace means it was easier for him to make friends. That’s what Dream said at least. Tubbo was unsure.

Tubbo had just turned thirteen when they moved into the palace in mid-January. He had chosen a birthday in December, the day Dream had first called him his brother in fact. He always had mixed feelings about winter but with Dream and his new family around it was warmer.

Moving wasn’t the difficult part. It was leaving behind all his old habits. Dream was very protective of him and when Tubbo wasn’t alone in his room while his brother and his friends worked, he was trailing behind them. They had removed the tattoos on his forearm with some effort, so he didn’t have to have another reminder of his past life. It didn’t stop the nightmares or him anxiously rubbing at the skin where the numbers used to stain his skin.

But he was healing. Slowly but surely.

Tubbo had been living at the palace for about four months when he met Tommy.

Their first meeting couldn’t be described as anything but strange and amusing. Tubbo still smiles at the thought of the memory when he first watched Tommy tumble through his bedroom window, staining the rug with all the mud he dragged in. If you asked Tubbo he would have no idea that the boy before him was actually a prince. He thought he was a son of a noble, maybe even a servant. But not one of the three princes of Artica.

Tommy was running from the royals guards that day, it turned out. He got into some sort of trouble after releasing all the horses from the stables and then was chased through the gardens. The boy then climbed up two stories high, walked across a roof or two, before tumbling through a window of what he thought was an empty room, only to be caught by Tubbo.

George and Sapnap, two guards who were dragged into searching for Tommy, found the two later that evening, sitting on Tubbo’s bed as Tommy told exaggerated stories about his childhood.

The two were now inseparable and Dream couldn't be prouder of Tubbo for making a friend. Even if it was Tommy, who was sometimes too loud and too rough, but Tubbo loved him anyway. And Dream would never come between the two when he saw how happy Tubbo was.

Tubbo would do anything for Tommy. He didn’t wish any harm upon his best friend and would never go back on what was now a three (almost four) year friendship that was still going strong.

The two sat on the roof that was just above Tubbo’s bedroom window. Tommy chewed on some of the sweets he had stolen from the kitchen earlier that morning while Tubbo read a book. Tommy would occasionally break apart his pastry to feed it to the curious pigeons that flew by them and hopped around. It brought a smile to Tubbo’s face.

“Aye Tubs?” Tommy asked. “Are you sure you don’t wanna join me when I have my sword training lessons? It’d be pretty pog if we could learn together.”

Tubbo rolled his eyes. Tommy would ask this question at least once a day. Ever since Tommy had started getting lessons from his older brother Technoblade (‘The Blade’ as he was called) soon after they first met, he kept asking Tubbo if he wanted to join in. The two did everything together, but Tommy always wondered why he turned down every offer of learning how to defend himself. Little did Tommy know that Tubbo sparred with Dream and did conditioning training with George and Sap at least twice a week to keep up with the skills he had learned so long ago.

In secret of course. He didn’t want anyone to know his past. He was Tubbo, Toby, the poor kid caught in the middle of a war that Dream had taken in and adopted as a younger brother.

“I’m just not interested, big man,” Tubbo responded, closing his book. “I wouldn’t want to become between your time with your brother after all.”

Tommy frowned and fed the pigeons the rest of his pastry. “Well Techno’s a bitch so you would make things a lot more fun,” he said as he watched the pigeons fight over the pastry. He crossed his arms and pouted. “Plus it would be so cool if we were sword buddies.”

“But we already are piano buddies, crime buddies, and study buddies, and drug-” Tubbo started to list before Tommy cut him off.

“Yeah yeah I know Tubbo!” he nearly shouted. Tubbo jumped slightly but just shook his head. Tommy glared at him. “I just thought it’d be super cool if we became like this awesome sword swinging duo.”

“Sorry Tommy,” Tubbo said, rubbing his wrist, a nervous habit of his. He traced the skin where the numbers used to stain his skin. Tommy picked up a while ago that it was a nervous habit of his and his facial expression immediately softened when he realized his friend was uncomfortable.

“It’s fine,” Tommy said. “I’d never force you to do something you don’t wanna do anyway.” He kicked at the roof tiles and sighed and leaned back, putting his arms under his head as he looked up at the sky. “You have any cool facts about bees ya wanna tell me before I’m dragged off to my afternoon lessons?”

“I’d thought you’d never ask.”

The two boys broke into laughter as they stared up at the sky.

˙.・⭑˙ • ⋅ ⭑ ⋅ • ˙⭑・.˙

Tubbo snuck through the halls and let himself into Tommy’s room later that night. They did this often, especially on days where Tommy and lots of lessons and couldn’t get away to see Tubbo. In the large room he found Tommy pacing around in his nightclothes near the lit fireplace. He had a bandage on his cheek that was new and Tubbo couldn’t help but be a little concerned. He closed the door quietly behind him and his bare feet padded against the cool tile floor as he went to sit by his friend.

“What happened to your cheek?” Tubbo asked. Tommy groaned and dragged his hands over his face.

“Oh Tubbo it was awful!” he complained. “Techno was teaching me hand to hand combat, said it was important or something, and he punched me so hard it cut my cheek! Wilbur’s been laughing about it all day even though Dad told him off! They’re bastards Tubbo! Bastards I tell you!”

“Well, at least you’re learning how to take a hit,” Tubbo said with a shrug. “And deal with Wilbur’s teasing.”

Tommy collapsed onto the small sofa Tubbo was sitting on and leaned on his best friend. “Woe is me Tubs!” he said dramatically. “But in all seriousness, do you think it’ll scar?”

Tubbo shook his head, smiling at his friend’s dramatics. “Probably not. Your bandage probably has a healing potion infused in it.”

“True,” Tommy said, yawning as he rubbed at his eyes. “Shit I’m tired.” Tubbo ran a hand through Tommy’s hair, something he picked up from Dream after all the late nights they had together where Tubbo couldn’t sleep.

“Get some rest,” Tubbo said, blinking back sleepiness. Tommy sighed and Tubbo could hear his breathing slow. It had been a long day for the both of them and it didn’t take long for the both of them to fall asleep on the small sofa.

They two were woken from their slumber sometime later, too early in the morning. Tubbo groggily rubbed at his eyes and looked out the window to see a dark sky filled with stars. But the commotion coming from the hallway woke Tubbo up in a flash. He shook Tommy awake frantically before running around the room.

“What’s happening Tubs?” Tommy asked, sitting up and rubbing at his eye. Tubbo didn’t even answer before throwing a pair of shoes and a jacket at Tommy.

“I think the palace has been infiltrated, Tommy,” Tubbo said, fear edging into his voice. Tommy’s eyes widened and he quickly got up and spurred into action. Tubbo rummaged through Tommy wardrobe cursing Tommy for having feet at least a size bigger than his own. He never really got that growth spurt Dream promised that would come one day. He improvised and shoved a pair of socks the toes of a pair of shoes before tugging them onto his feet and pulling on a jacket. He turned back to Tommy who was pulling his sword out from underneath his bed. Tubbo grabbed the fire poker by the fireplace as a weapon, knowing that Tomy wouldn’t trust him to give him his sword.

After all, he had spent so much time refusing sword lessons from Tommy so the likelihood of Tommy believing him when he said he had known how to use a sword for years was slim.

Tubbo carefully poked his head out of the hallway, holding the fire poker in one hand and Tommy’s hand in the other. He slipped into the hallway cautiously, leading Tommy down the hall. Tommy was too tired and too shocked to question him, while Tubbo had trained for years on what to do when enemies breached your base, or well in this case, home.

He barely batted an eye at the bloodied bodies they passed in the hallways. Tommy slowed down at the first few and Tubbo practically had to drag him away from the sight. Seeing bodies for the first time was always awful, and Tubbo hoped Tommy would be alright.

The two didn’t get far before they ran into the enemy. Tubbo’s heart fell when he realized they’d have to fight them off, and there were at least five of them. He was hoping they would run into Tommy’s family or Dream first. Guess they weren’t lucky enough.

Tommy acted brave and took a step in front of Tubbo, holding out his sword. Tubbo was about to say something when he was attacked from behind. He let out a shout but was too worried for Tommy who was being wrangled by the enemy. He couldn’t focus on saving himself because of how distressed Tommy was. He forgot all of his former training as he struggled in his captor’s arms, trying to get to his best friend. He cried out for Tommy as his vision faded to black.

He had failed to protect his best friend.

˙.・⭑˙ • ⋅ ⭑ ⋅ • ˙⭑・.˙

When Tubbo came to he immediately knew something was off. He was still dressed in the night clothes from last night, along with the jacket he had stolen from Tommy’s wardrobe. But there was a chain around his wrist and a chill in the air. He shivered and opened his eyes, surprised to see Tommy sitting across from him. Tommy’s cheeks were stained with tears and he didn’t even blink as he watched Tubbo wake up.

“Tommy?” Tubbo asked, his voice low. Tommy blinked and hiccupped, obviously trying to hold back more tears.

“We've been kidnapped, Tubbo,” he said, his voice breaking. “I woke up a while ago. They said they got me for ransom money. They’re trying to ransom you too, they think you’re important or something.” Tommy cringed, realizing how he made it sound like Tubbo wasn’t worth anything. “Well you are important, to me especially, but they kidnapped me ‘cause I’m the youngest prince, y’know?”

Tubbo nodded and inspected the chain around his wrist. He didn’t have anything he could pick the lock with but the chain was loose. Partially because he was just a kid and these chains were probably made for adults. He was still a tiny kid as well. But it wasn’t loose enough he could slip his wrist through. Not unless he dislocated it at least.

Tommy was crying, rubbing harshly at his eyes as he whimpered. “I just wanna see my family again Tubbo,” he said through his tears. “What if they don’t come? What if they got hurt?”

Tubbo looked up and gave Tommy a sympathetic look. “Things will be just fine, I promise.”

“You can’t promise me shit Tubbo,” Tommy snapped. “We’re literally stuck in a cell in chains!”

Tubbo looked away and just muttered, “watch me” under his breath. Tommy didn’t hear him, too busy choking back sobs and trying to put on a brave face.

Dislocating his wrist was painful and he sucked in a breath when he did it. Tommy didn’t even spare him a glance cause he was too focused on the sound of footsteps coming closer. While Tubbo was freeing himself from his chain the door to their cell opened, and in walked a big man who stood between Tommy and Tubbo, obscuring their view of one another.

While their prison guard taunted Tommy, Tubbo slipped his wrist free from his chain, hissing when he popped the bones back into place. He stood up and looked the man up and down. He had a ring of keys and a sword attached to his belt. He was tall, probably as tall as Prince Wilbur, and was a muscular and fat man as well. Tubbo stretched for a moment, before he jumped the man from behind. He put the man in a chokehold and swung his leg up and around his neck as well, pulling him to the floor. Tubbo held the man down on the floor, pushing a knee into the man’s back. The man tried to cry out but Tubbo was quicker, and his small hands roughly gripped the man’s neck, twisting in sharply. The man was dead in a matter of seconds.

Tubbo stood up and hovered over the body for a second before grabbing the keys and the sword from his belt. Tommy watched in a shocked state of horror, staring at his best friend who just took out a man that was at least twice his size.

Tubbo quickly shuffled through keys as he tried them in the lock around Tommy’s wrist chain.

“Ho-how the fuck?” Tommy asked, stumbling over his words, his eyes still trained on the body laying on the dirty ground of their cell.

“Hush,” Tubbo hissed. “We don’t want them to hear us.” He found the right key for the lock seconds later and the chain fell to the floor, clattering a little. Tubbo turned back to the body, checking it for any more weapons. He found a couple daggers and quickly wrapped the sheathes around his upper arms. He passed the sword to Tommy.

“Take this,” he said. “You probably won’t need it though.”

“What?”

“You’ll see.”

Tommy sure did see. He watched as his best friend mercilessly stabbed multiple guards and picked off different weapons from their fallen bodies. Tubbo equipped himself with a small crossbow and a pack of bolts that he threw over his shoulder. He picked up more daggers along with a sword that was balanced nicely in his hands. He even found a shield that he tossed to Tommy, preferring to know that his friend would have more defense. Blades cut through nightclothes very easily and he didn’t want any more harm to come to Tommy.

Tubbo was like an angel of death. He had a sweet face and a beautiful smile. But when you looked at him bloodied and battered, with an emotionless expression, it was like looking at a soldier standing in a battlefield, a sole survivor of the carnage he just witnessed. Tommy didn’t know just how close to the truth he actually was.

His knives were stabbed into necks as he jumped multiple people. His sword ran through more than one person and Tommy watched as he pulled it out letting the body crumple to the floor. When footsteps came up behind them Tommy watched as Tubbo loaded and shot multiple crossbow bolts into the throats of their oncoming attackers. Tommy never once had to raise his sword or shield. But he did double over to vomit his guts out more than once.

They reached a room that the hallway opened into, and a set of stairs were off to the side. A woman in heels marched down the stairs, followed by two men. Tubbo picked off the men easily with his crossbow and the woman shouted when she watched the bodies tumble down the stairs. She glared at Tubbo before his eyes lit up in recognition. Tubbo’s eyes reflected the same recognition when he remembered the woman and the symbol that was present on the fallen men’s clothes.

“So you didn’t die in the war between Terrari and Hypix,” the woman said. “It’s good to see that Terrari’s creations still lives.”

Tubbo winced and Tommy looked between the two of them. He wanted to shout ‘what the fuck is going on’ but he had enough sense to realize now was not the time. He instead was wondering how Tubbo had connections with one of Artica’s enemies, and the kingdom that Hypix had sent packing four years ago.

“I’m not a Terraian citizen or weapon anymore,” Tubbo said defiantly. “I’m an Artican citizen and younger brother to Dream of Esempee.” He loaded his crossbow and aimed it at the woman. The woman just laughed.

“You can’t just erase the twelve years were you were raised by me and the others Number Seven,” the woman said.

“No, but I can kill you,” Tubbo said. “I’ve already picked off all your other guards and I know you can’t defend yourself.”

“All of this just to protect the little princeling?” the woman asked. “You went from being one kingdom’s weapon to just be employed by another.”

“I’m not a weapon!” Tubbo shouted. 

“Yet you’ve surrounded yourself with the bodies of your enemies,” the woman said.

“Oh shut the fuck up lady,” Tommy said, gripping the handle of his sword tightly. “He’s just a kid, like me. He just happens to be super fucking amazing.”

“You don’t know his backstory, do you princeling?” the woman asked, a smirk spreading across her face.

“He doesn’t,” Tubbo responded. “But it’s not your story to tell.”

The woman didn’t even get the chance to say something in response before Tubbo’s crossbow bolt pierced her throat.


	3. reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of Kidnapping, Mentions of Violence, Mentions of Death/Murder/Corpses, Blood, Vomit
> 
> Not as heavy as the last chapter but do read with caution. <3
> 
> (Time to reunite the boys with their families :D)

Dream panicked when he realized Tubbo wasn’t in his room when the palace was breached. He knew Tubbo snuck out occasionally to do whatever with Tommy but now was not one of those nights he could feel safe knowing his little brother would be alright. He panicked even more when the enemy had been driven off only to discover they had taken the youngest prince and Tubbo with them.

Of course King Philza freaked out as well. All that was left of the boys was a note saying they expected ransom money by the end of the week, or less they would find the boys dead. Prince Technoblade was being too quiet while Prince Wilbur was throwing things and screaming at his father about plans to find his missing brother.

Sapnap cried when he first realized Tubbo was gone, screaming about how he should have been there to protect him. George simply hid in his room, mourning the loss of their young friend. They both had seen Tubbo on the battlefield and trained with him as well, but he was not a perfect fighter. No one was. They couldn’t help but worry for the boy, and the prince he had disappeared with.

Dream too, was quiet, after he shattered the mirror in his bathroom. He knew Tubbo was more than capable of caring for himself, but would Tommy endanger him? He tried not to think about it too much. He tried to believe in Tubbo’s (and Tommy’s) skills that would hopefully keep them safe. They were kidnapped, not killed after all. He still worried for them though.

He hoped both of the boys were safe.

˙.・⭑˙ • ⋅ ⭑ ⋅ • ˙⭑・.˙

Looting the underground bunker was fun. After they got over the initial shock of the situation (and after Tommy puked again as Tubbo stood still, looking at the bodies of the enemies he had taken down) they decided to explore the place that they were stuck in.

He let Tommy loot the place while he moved all the bodies into the hallway of cells they had come from. There were no other prisoners (luckily) and Tubbo and Tommy explored the other rooms that were connected to the room with the stairs, which lead to the outside. The rooms didn’t provide them much. They found a kitchen, which they looted, an office which Tubbo guessed belonged to the woman he had killed, a weapons room which Tommy had stolen a knife from (vlog knife he dubbed it), and some sleeping quarters.

The room above the surface that was at the top of the stairs was nothing special. It looked like storage and hid the fact that there was an underground bunker beneath it. With some effort Tubbo got Tommy to help him bring a cot up into the room so they would be away from the bodies that were hidden behind the door across from the stairs in the bunker. Tubbo also didn’t like how Tommy’s face paled every time he passed the pool of dried blood on the floor. It was best for both of them to be away from the decaying bodies. After they shut the door that the bodies were behind they never opened it again.

Finally, after hours of moving dead bodies behind the door, looting for supplies, and moving the cot to the room above, the two boys stared at the door that led to the outside. Tubbo opened it hesitantly, gripping his sword in his hand. Behind him Tommy held his own stolen sword and shield. But when they walked outside they were met with an open field with a forest behind them and a setting sun in front of them.

“What do we do now?” Tommy asked, relaxing when he realized they were in no immediate danger. Tubbo frowned. If the sun was setting ahead of them, that was west, so to the left of him should be south, towards Artica.

“Artica is that way,” Tubbo said, pointing to his left. There were open fields in that direction, and what looked like the forest in the far distance. “But I don’t know how far we would have to travel to get back.”

“Should we pack some supplies and head out tomorrow then?” Tommy asked. Tubbo shook his head.

“We don’t know where we are,” he said. “The maps we found never pointed to our location. We could be hours or days away from the capital.”

“We’re not even gonna travel a little?” Tommy asked. Tubbo shook his head again.

“No,” he said. “Not when your family is likely looking for you or traveling out here to deliver the ransom money. We could pass them accidentally and worry them even more.” He looked over his shoulder at the open door to the small concrete structure that hid the base underneath it. “I mean, what would they think if they found a bunker with nothing but dead bodies in it and two missing sons of nobility?”

Tommy sighed and kicked at the grass. The sunlight was dying and soon only the moon and stars would light up the field. “I guess you’re right,” he agreed. “I guess we’re staying here.”

“Too bad none of the guards had any spare clothes that fit us,” Tubbo said, looking down at his blood stained jacket and white nightclothes.

“Well we have food and vlog knife at least!” Tommy said, returning to his usual chipper mood instead of the solemn kid he had been just hours ago.

Tubbo laughed and tried to forget the smell of blood that clung to him.

Late that night Tubbo shot awake and sat up from the cot he shared with Tommy. He had a nightmare and while he couldn’t remember it he could feel the phantom touch of a weapon in his hands and the screams of dying men and women in his head. He whimpered and hugged his arms around himself.

Beside him Tommy didn’t seem to be doing any better. He whimpered in his sleep, tears rolling down his cheeks. The arm that was wrapped around Tubbo’s waist pulled tighter and Tubbo let himself lay back down as he relaxed into the embrace of his sleeping friend.

Everything was going to be okay. Tommy’s family was coming for them, Dream was coming for them. They would be safe soon enough and wouldn’t have to worry about foreign enemies snatching them from their beds in the night.

Things would be okay.

˙.・⭑˙ • ⋅ ⭑ ⋅ • ˙⭑・.˙

King Philza gathered a small group of trusted guards to accompany him as he went to retrieve his youngest son. He tried to get one of his elder sons to stay and watch over the kingdom but both refused, wanting to be there when they rescued Tommy. So he left one of his trusted advisors in charge and Dream went to get George and Sapnap to gather some supplies before they left with the king.

It had been a day since the boy had been snatched up by the enemies. They were heading out to the coordinates that the enemy had left behind, bringing with them nothing but a few guards, weapons (if worse came to worse), and the ransom money they had requested.

Dream couldn’t help but think about the worst possible outcomes of the situation. What if they demanded more money? What if they only gave up Tommy and kept Tubbo? What if they arrived at the coordinates only to discover that they boys were dead?

The scenarios ran through his head until he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. George and Sapnap were looking at him worriedly. He shrugged off their concerns and finished prepping his horse for their trip.

Just a few hours later a king, two princes, one general, two royal guards, and a healer set out to rescue a prince and the adopted son of a nobleman.

˙.・⭑˙ • ⋅ ⭑ ⋅ • ˙⭑・.˙

It had been roughly a week since they were kidnapped. They had plenty of supplies despite the fact that mice had ruined half of their food supply. Tubbo had been trained to go long periods without food and tried to give Tommy his food, but being the good friend he was he made sure their rations were split evenly.

Both boys were a smelly mess and didn’t dare to back down into the bunker because of the smell of the corpses. They were sure there were some sort of showers somewhere down there but they opted to clean themselves off with some rags they got wet in a nearby river. Tubbo couldn’t be more grateful to see the blood washed off of his skin. He wished he had a spare pair of clothes, and while Tommy and Tubbo did their best to clean their clothes off, neither of them were that clean. Blood still stained both of their clothes. It made Tubbo feel sick every time he looked at the dark stains on their faded white nightclothes. Their jackets weren’t much better.

Now, in the early morning, the two boys sat on top of the concrete building’s roof eating breakfast. It was their thing, climbing onto the roof with food in their hands as they watched the sun rise. Tubbo nibbled on his slice of bread while Tommy shouted at the bird who had stolen the slice of bread he had dropped. When he was done shouting Tubbo broke off a piece of his bread and handed it to Tommy. He grumpily took it and shoved it in his mouth.

“I like palace pigeons better than these bitch crows,” Tommy complained. Tubbo couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

“I miss the palace pigeons too,” Tubbo said. “They were better behaved.”

“Well they were annoying shits but they never stole my food!” Tommy said.

The two boys laughed some more, swinging their feet over the side of the concrete building. Tubbo kicked his feet while Tommy just let his hang as he looked up at the clouds.

They were silent for a long while before the wind brushed Tubbo’s hair in his face. He shook it out of the way, but noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A group of people, in the distance, coming from the right side of the field. Tubbo’s eyes widened and he tugged on Tommy’s shirt pointing towards the group in the distance.

“Tommy Tommy,” he said in a rush. “Can you make out the banner they’re holding?”

Tommy’s eyes widened in surprise before he held up a hand to shield the sun in his eyes as he squinted at the oncoming group. He let out a whoop of excitement a couple seconds later and shook Tubbo by his shoulders.

“It’s the Artica banner Tubs!” he shouted. “Dad’s come to rescue us!”

Both of the boys sat up and let out whoops of excitement as they jumped up and down on top of the roof. It had been nearly a week of them waiting around for someone to show up and save them. Now that the king was here they could go home.

As the group approached the boys waved in an ecstatic manner when they were within the sight of recognition. Tubbo saw Dream, George, and Sapnap and cried out. Tommy also saw his dad and brothers and the two boys quickly climbed down from their place on the roof to run to their family, who looked at them in surprise.

It wasn’t often you show up to a ransom exchange to find the people held for ransom safe and sound with no kidnappers in sight.

Everyone got off their horses and Tubbo and Tommy ran into the arms of their respective families. Dream wrapped up Tubbo in arms, holding the boy close. Tubbo practically burst into tears at the familiar warmth that greeted him and the hand that ran through his hair.

“Oh Toby,” Dream said. “What happened?”

“I-I had t-to kill again,” Tubbo said through hiccups as he blinked back tears. “I pro-promised Tommy I’d keep him safe.”

Dream just ran a hand through his hair, soothing the boy.

A moment later the king approached the pair with all three of his sons in tow. He had a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, looking like he didn’t want to let him go. Tubbo swallowed the lump in his throat and Dream held him close to his chest. Tommy gave Tubbo a comforting grin and Tubbo smiled back as best as he could.

“I heard you kept my son safe,” King Philza said, looking down at the boy.

“I did, sir,” Tubbo said, rubbing at his wrist. Dream patted his head and Tubbo smiled softly. The king looked at him before he pulled Tubbo into a hug. Tubbo was so surprised he didn’t even get the chance to hug him back before the king let go.

“Thank you,” King Philza said. “I don’t know what you did, Tommy didn’t tell me yet, but thank you.”

“How did the two of you escape?” someone spoke up. Tubbo looked up again to meet the eyes of the second prince, Technoblade. He gulped again.

“I uh,” he began. “I got us out of our chains and we fought our way out.”

“So where are your captors?” Technoblade asked. Tubbo didn’t meet his eyes.

“Behind the door,” he said, providing sparse information. Tommy didn’t speak up either as Prince Technoblade gave him an expecting look before turning back to Tubbo.

“Did you trap them?” Prince Technoblade asked. “That’s mighty impressive.”

Tubbo mumbled some incoherent words under his breath and Dream nudged him so he would speak up. Tommy just looked between Tubbo and his older brother, a small grin on his face.

“No sir,” Tubbo said, speaking a little louder. “I didn’t trap them. I killed them.”

The silence in the air could pierce flesh; it was so sharp. Prince Technoblade looked down at the child in front of him who was a mere few months older than Tommy in shock. This tiny kid who looked like he could barely lift a sword managed to escape his chains and kill off multiple men to save his brother. Prince Wilbur and King Philza shared the same surprised expressions. Tubbo couldn’t see George and Sapnap but he could bet they stiffened like Dream did when Tubbo admitted to killing their captors to the prince’s face.

“How many did you kill?” he asked. Tubbo shifted nervously on his feet.

“I dunno,” he said honestly. “We never counted the bodies. I know I dragged three behind the door, and there were at least five others that I had taken out before the other three. Ten at most, maybe?”

“Techno you should have seen him!” Tommy exclaimed, breaking the tension in the air. “He shot like four guys with a crossbow and stabbed some others! He even like, jumped his guy and snapped his neck or some shit!”

“Tommy please,” Tubbo said, rubbing his wrist. “I don’t wanna think about it.”

“Sorry Big T,” Tommy said, his words getting quieter and softer, but still holding an air of amazement. “You have to admit it was cool though.”

“You puked at least three times after you saw me take them down.”

“Tubbo! You know I hate the smell of blood!”

“Are any of you hurt?” King Philza asked, cutting into the boys’ conversation. Tommy shook his head and Tubbo shrugged.

“I mean my wrist hurts but it’ll be alright,” he said. “I had to dislocate it.”

“We’ll get the both of you checked out,” King Philza said. He looked to George and Sapnap who nodded and went to get the healer that their group had brought with them. Philza then looked back to Dream and Tubbo.

“I don’t fully understand how your brother managed to pull off something like this Dream,” King Philza said. “But I expect for you to tell me the truth.”

Dream smiled sheepishly as Tubbo looked away shyly.

“It’s a long story, your majesty.”

“And we have a long trip back.”

Tommy and Tubbo shared a look as they both smiled at one another. They were going to have a lot more adventures once they got to the palace.

Tommy finally got his sword fighting buddy.

And Tubbo finally let off some of the weight on his shoulders.

Healing was a slow process, but with family and friends by your side to support you, anything was possible.


End file.
